5 Ways to Fix the Valorant “Vanguard Not Initialized” Error on Windows PCs

The “Vanguard not initialized” error is a common gaming issue that occurs for some players when they try to play Valorant. One player reported that issue on Reddit like this, “Hello, I have tried to launch Valorant and over the past three days, I have been having this problem where in the loading screen before I enter Valorant I get a popup saying ‘Vanguard not initialized.’” That error message also shows a 58 or 127 code. This is how you can fix the Valorant “Vanguard not initialized” error on a Windows PC.

Enable the VGC Service

First, check if the VGC service is enabled at startup. VGC is an essential Riot Vanguard service for the Valorant game. This is how you can enable the VGC service with MSConfig.

1. Right-click Start to select Run, enter msconfig, and click ok to bring up a System Configuration window.
2. Next, select Services in MSConfig.
3. Select the checkbox for VGC service.
   
   

   The VGC checkbox in MSConfig

4. Click Apply and OK to enable the service.
5. Select Restart in the dialog box.

Start the VGC Service

As an extension to the previous potential fix, try manually starting the VGC service. You can manually start VGC from the properties window for that service like this.

1. Open Run, enter services.msc, and click on OK.
2. Next, double-click VGC inside the Services window.
3. Select Automatic within the Startup type drop-down menu.
   
   

   The Automatic option

4. Click the Start option within the VGC service window.
5. Select Apply to save the options.
6. To exit the service properties window, click OK.

Disable Testing Mode

Windows has a Test Signing mode that can conflict with the Vanguard anti-cheat software for Valorant. Thus, that mode is a potential cause of the “Vanguard not initialized” error. This is how you can disable the Test Signing mode.

1. To access the file search tool in Windows, click the search box or magnifying glass within the taskbar.
2. Type in a Command Prompt search phrase.
   Right-click the Command Prompt app to select a Run this program as an administrator option for starting it.
3. Next, input bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING OFF into the Command Prompt and hit Enter to execute.
   
   

   The bcdedit -set TESTSIGNING OFF command

4. Type bcdedit -set NOINTEGRITYCHECKS OFF into the Prompt and hit Return.
   
   

   The bcdedit -set NOINTEGRITYCHECKS OFF command

5. Close out of the Command Prompt and restart your PC.

Reinstall Riot Vanguard

Reinstalling Riot Vanguard is a widely confirmed way to fix the Valorant “Vanguard not initialized” error on Windows PCs. To do this, you’ll need to execute a couple of commands and manually erase the Riot Vanguard folder. These are the steps for reinstalling Riot Vanguard.

1. Open the Command Prompt with elevated privileges as instructed within the first three steps of the previous potential fix.
2. Input an sc delete vgc command and hit Enter to execute.
3. Next, type input a sc delete vgk command and press Return.
   
   

   The delete vgk and vgc commands

4. Open File Explorer and the Programs Files folder.
5. Erase the Riot Vanguard folder by right-clicking it and selecting Delete.
   
   

   The Riot Vanguard folder

6. If you see a Folder in Use message when trying to delete, you’ll need to disable Riot background services. To do so, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to select Riot processes in Task Manager and click End task.
7. Now run the Valorant app as an administrator. Riot Vanguard automatically reinstalls after starting the Valorant app.
8. Restart your PC after reinstalling Vanguard.

Enable Data Execution Prevention

Data Execution Prevention is a security feature for Windows that stops suspicious executable code starting from data-only memory. Having that feature disabled can cause Vanguard issues to arise. Make sure Data Execution Prevention is enabled via the Command Prompt like this.

1. Start the Command Prompt with elevated administrator rights.
2. Type in a bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOn command and press Enter.
   
   

   The bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOn command

3. Restart Windows after executing the command.

Those troubleshooting methods will probably fix the Valorant “Vanguard not initialized” error for most players. Reinstalling Vanguard is the most widely confirmed fix for this gaming issue, but some players might need to apply other potential solutions. If you need more potential fixes, try contacting Valorant support by submitting a help ticket from this Riot page.

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Patch Notes 9.08 Headlined by Map Updates and Gekko Changes